The main legal rights for emotional support animals are housing-related. Find out how to disclose your ESA to your landlord or HOA, housing rights, and more here.
Learn about bringing your ESA or service dog to your college campus.
Practical tips and advice for dealing with your HOA when you have an ESA or service dog.
Guides for renters who want to live with their pet, ESA or service dog.
Getting an ESA letter for housing is an easy three step process that can be done online as long as the healthcare professional is licensed...
No, a landlord cannot make you get rid of your emotional support dog, cat, or other animal, regardless of the building’s no pet policy or...
Picture this: You're trying to relax at home with your emotional support dog, the companion who helps manage your anxiety, when suddenly there's a knock at the door. It's another notice from your HOA about noise complaints. Your heart sinks as you wonder: Could your emotional sup [...]
No, homeowners associations (HOAs) cannot legally require you to register either service dogs or emotional support animals (ESAs). Federal housing rules clearly state that you don’t need to register either type of support animal. If you have a service dog, your HOA can ask [...]
Both you and your emotional support animal (ESA) have the right to be in your building’s common areas, even if there is a no-pet policy, as long as you have an ESA letter. According to HUD, landlords have to “reasonably accommodate” ESA owners, and that means allowing them to hav [...]
You and your emotional support animal (ESA) have federal housing rights to live in a dorm room together. However, ESA rights can be taken away if your ESA creates situations that cause other students to be unable to study or sleep or if your ESA attacks them (even if they provoke [...]
Yes, under federal and state rules, landlords have to reasonably accommodate tenants that need an ESA to support their mental health. Even if they have a building policy that prohibits all pets.
Fair housing rules generally apply to most public and private landlords. That includes rental apartments, co-ops and HOAs. A few smaller landlords are exempt: owner-occupied buildings with no more than four units and single-family homes sold or rented by the owner without the use of an agent.
Landlords are entitled to see only one document to confirm a tenant’s animal is an ESA. That document is an ESA letter signed by a licensed healthcare professional. Landlords cannot ask for other documents like IDs, licenses or certificates.